But Dayton owns several vacant lots, including one the city acquired to demolish the structures on them.

A new pilot program will soon launch 18 vacant, city-owned, residential lots for sale.

A list of properties is available online on the city’s website, and properties are available for purchase at GovDeals.com. Details will be added for 30 days.

Todd Kinski, Dayton’s director of planning, neighborhoods and development, will speak about the new surplus property pilot program at Wednesday’s city commission meeting. Cornelius Frolick / Worker

Todd Kinski, Dayton’s director of planning, neighborhoods and development, will speak about the new surplus property pilot program at Wednesday’s city commission meeting. Cornelius Frolick / Worker

These residential lots could support new homes or other new structures, or be used for backyard extensions or private or community gardens, officials said.

Vacant residential lots will be sold based on the Montgomery County Auditor’s valuation and administrative costs, city officials said.

The city will not accept less than the bid. But the city can make adjustments later.

Dayton plans to sell them for $200 because they are too small for new home construction or have other issues, Kinski said.

These properties are not advertised on GovDeals.

A man works on the exterior of a house on Hawker Street in the Twin Towers neighbourhood. The house is next to an open lot owned by the City of Dayton. The city owns several vacant lots on that street. Cornelius Frolick / Worker

A man works on the exterior of a house on Hawker Street in the Twin Towers neighbourhood. The house is next to an open lot owned by the City of Dayton. The city owns several vacant lots on that street. Cornelius Frolick / Worker

The city will sell them directly to interested parties, and neighboring property owners will have first crack and first right of refusal, Kinski said.

Often, properties put up for public sale grow up in the hands of irresponsible owners, some of whom are LLCs and people who live out of state, Kinski said.

The city can’t stop these people and groups from trying to buy parcels, but it does require buyers to check and verify that they are current on all property taxes, and they must be current on all city bills, Kinski said.

Buyers must verify that they have no significant code violations on their property and must be in “good standing” if they participated in the now-defunct Lot Link program in the past.

The city asks buyers to share information about what properties they own, the condition of their properties and other information.

“The city’s goal is not to generate revenue — our goal is to put these in the hands of responsible owners and really reduce our burden for maintenance,” Kinski said.

Empty, Twin Towers neighborhood on Hawker Street, City of Dayton property. Cornelius Frolick / Worker

Empty, Twin Towers neighborhood on Hawker Street, City of Dayton property. Cornelius Frolick / Worker

The city will harvest and maintain about 6,000 vacant lots, Dayton Public Works Director Fred Stovall said.

City staff will request documents from potential buyers at the end of the bidding period.

They will have 10 days to produce information related to reporting and verification requirements. The City does not request this information for unbuildable vacant lots.

Kinski also said the city will try to first talk to neighborhood representatives to screen potential vacant residential properties before trying to sell them.

Jeff Speaks with Speaks Renovations owns a home in the 200 block of Hawker Street in the Twin Towers neighborhood.

The city has two vacant lots north of the property, and Speaks said he previously considered buying an adjacent parcel and including it in the lot.

He said he might be interested in acquiring the properties if the city puts them up for sale and he can get a good price.

“I want to see them sell, and I want to see them sell me dirt cheap,” he said. “I’d like to see something done to improve the area.”

The pilot program will run for the rest of the year and its effectiveness will depend on how many properties the city can sell, officials said.

Additional sets of properties will be offered for sale in the future, and the city has a list of more than 200 parties interested in the city-owned properties, officials said.

“We hope the program will help address housing liability issues, particularly with out-of-town owners who have shown no commitment to improving the city’s quality of life,” Dayton Mayor Jeffrey Mims Jr. said.

Many people are excited about this pilot program, but there is a digital divide in the community and some residents may not have the ability to access GovDeals to bid on property, said Dayton Commissioner Shinise Turner-Sloss.

She said the city wants to look for options to help people with digital divide assessments and possibly compete on these properties.

Turner-Sloss also said the county auditor’s assessment is often not a true reflection of property value.

Some of the listed prices are much higher than what the properties would fetch on the market.